Posted on 03/27/2007 5:59:29 PM PDT by Libertarianchick
Edited on 03/27/2007 6:32:00 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
It is often said that everything's bigger in Texas - and without the assistance of Academy Award worthy films such as "Debbie Does Dallas" - some may believe this saying to be nothing more than a myth. But for the Texans who don't quite measure up there is always another way to compensate: own a gun. Because we all know how Texans love their guns, right?
However, the truth of the matter is, that Texas gun laws are no less lax than that of other states. It seems to be a love, hunger, thirst and desire for guns that has swept throughout the entire country - and with fatal results. An epidemic of intended crime prevention has proven to host a whole new genre of crime; one that's faster, easier and comes with a load of alibis. Now, now, a good American can never pass up a bargain.
Maybe that explains why 1,000 people die every day due to guns. Anti-gun control supporters will immediately attack that statement to say, and I only quote the ignorant, to not believe it, "Guns don't kill people. People kill people!" My, with such a mind set, every gun supporter should have a degree in philosophy. Maybe then they could articulate in such a way that the blame game just might work.
Sure, we can continue to blame guns for homicides, suicides, war deaths and freak accidents for as long as we like. But when other nations, such as Canada, reform gun laws only to see a 46 percent decrease in gun-related deaths, America might want to check its facts again. Not that our ego would ever allow any real admittance of having been in the wrong.
We are wrong because guns are wrong. They are deadly, unethical creations that do not save or secure any number of lives that could build a reliable statistic. Instead, there are mountains of statistics telling us otherwise.
Take, for instance, this statistic: for women, having a gun in the house increases the chances of being murdered by 172 percent. If that's not good enough, chew on this for a while: one study showed that people who attempt to use a gun in self-defense are four times as likely to die. Having a gun in the home does not make you safer. It is not an imaginary insurance policy.
I'm not sure any statistic could change the mind of someone set on owning a gun. No matter what is said in favor of gun control, it would seem that the Second Amendment has blinded us for too long. I suppose that 300 years ago, on the frontier, out in the West, and in the Appalachian Mountains, guns were necessary. Today, in 2007, with very few buffalo to eat, bears to fight or Native Americans left to slaughter they seem a bit useless.
But never fear! Testosterone is here. He's the one behind it all, it would seem. America is fueled by the same male dominance that sees that laws regarding gun control are relaxed, if at all existent. No, there aren't any saloons full of dirty cowboys with spurs and iron belt buckles but the essence of masculinity still makes it smell like the Old West.
Of gun-related homicides, 90 percent occur amongst men. Every 30 hours in South Africa, a woman is shot to death by her partner. It's not hard to understand that if men make up the majority of gun owners, which they do, and men are far more impulsive and badly tempered than females, then deaths associated with guns is likely to be very evident. It's much easier to end an argument, unhappy life, child's crying, spousal cheating or a robbery with a simple click.
It's very rare that I insist that the government intervene in the lives of its citizens but in America, the leader of gun fatalities, something should have been done long ago. Our ambition, ego and greed have brought us this far. Undoubtedly, it will carry us to the end.
This paper will circulate for three short days. Each day, more people will die because of guns. By the time the next issue arrives, anywhere from three to four thousand more people will be dead. Not from heart attack, cancer or AIDS but from something that can be stopped but is instead ignored.
And for what reason? So that gun owners can feel more secure knowing that their families are safe, they may still enjoy the pointless sport of killing wild animals and their power is ensured.
The ultimate irony of this entire situation is that the United States currently tops the charts with $533 million made per year on gun exports, and the very people we go to war with are one in the same as those we helped arm in the first place.
Our stubborn ways will guide us in our growth. Yet, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. And when the time comes for that fall and America takes a bullet to the back of the skull, we'll wish that we had the luxury of a good old fashioned stabbing in the back. At least then we might have seen it coming.
All statistical information used in this article can be found at http://www.iansa.org.
Had an interesting conversation with an Indianapolis police officer Sunday night. We were talking about home invasions. He said there is only one thing to remember when someone breaks into your house: somebody wins that fight and somebody loses and you need to make sure you are the one who wins. All is fair and no one in Indianapolis will be prosecuted for killing an intruder no matter how they do it. He said he had personally taught his wife how to use a gun because it is the great equalizer.
I guess Darrin would disagree with officer's assessment.
Take a look at the home invasion rates in Australia AFTER a private gun ban there. Police are helpless to protect entire cities. It takes time to respond to crime (if you can call them before you're killed).
Never trust any government that says that Gun Control is for the public safety...the part of the public that robs and rapes!
The little college twit, who authored this piece of s**t,
is a believer in the ends justify the means.
An exercise in childish emotional reaction to something
he does not understand. An example of youthful exuberance brought on by a skull full of mush.
What a shame, another education gone bad. Not even he should believe some of the off the wall statistics he is quoting.
You sure got a purty lip ring, mister.
When ever I argue the facts of gun ownership, the Whiney Ass Liberal Loser (W.A.L.L.) brings up a stat that guns are usually taken away by the intruder and used on the home owner.
I always ask them for numbers and where this information comes from. There is never a response.
So I then ask, "If its so easy to get a gun away from someone, why do criminals carry guns? We could just take theirs away from them and use it to kill them..."
Usually this is followed by a blank stare and an F.U.
Is that a herpoid on his lip? he looks like an older Harry Potter. I am willing to bet that he gets his lunch money taken from him quite often and his books dumped by girls!
There are that many idiots in Johnson City?
Yeah. Check out post 29. He is.
If this guy is an example of the quality of education you are getting at East Tennessee State University, I would ask for a refund and start looking to transfer. He is all over the place. He claims 1000 gun deaths a day and context implies in the U.S.A. A quick check of the CDC firearm statistics puts it at about 81 deaths per day in 1994 in the U.S.
If you are going to write a letter to the East Tennessean here is a link to some good gun facts that refute many of the claims he makes:
First post?
Your comparison is valid. This kid should worry more about his studies.
"When ever I argue the facts of gun ownership, the Whiney Ass Liberal Loser (W.A.L.L.) brings up a stat that guns are usually taken away by the intruder and used on the home owner"
Only liberals have their guns taken away............................the conservative has already shot the SOB : )
Absolutely not! This kid is very much an abberation, which makes this article puzzling. Our school has a great Marksmanship club and range, and is adding an advanced marksmanship class.
Our next school paper should be filled with letters denouncing this. The controversy is already buzzing. I just thought FR would like a laugh as well.
And again, sorry the formatting got messed up.
A lie.
App. 16,000 murders each year in the US, 11,000 by firearm.
11,000/365 = 30 murders per day.
Hope so. Post a few excerpts for a few grins...or groans, ok?
Thx...
"We are wrong because guns are wrong. They are deadly, unethical creations that do not save or secure any number of lives that could build a reliable statistic."
Welcome to the reality of the world. Only a Utopian would ever think the whole world will just throw their weapons into the smelting pot. Mankind started with rocks and sticks. Violence and evil are as much a part of the world as breathing is to humans.
Lose the emotional BS and come to reality. Oh, wait....I'm now being the "Utopian" one for thinking a lib could come to their senses. ;-)
Maybe he will get older. He may be too stupid to reach middle age.
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